Things To Look Forward To

September is finally here...that just means one thing is finally coming back, Hockey! Around mid-September the NHL will re-open and training camps will begin. Just a few days after that, preseason games will begin, and even though it may not be your favorite teams best lineup, it's a great way to watch some of the up and coming talent and a good bridge until October 1st, when the regular season opens. 

With that, there are many things good things taking place on the schedule this season. Here are just a few things I'm looking forward to heading into hockey season.

A Full NHL Season: 

Last year, hockey fans were locked out until the early part of 2013. In the end, only 48 regular seasons games and playoffs were scene. Even though it may have been the most exciting hockey season in a few years, nothing can compete with a full 82 game schedule that will feature every team playing one another from now on. With the new divisional setup, things will get interesting with wild-card spots and divisional playoff rivalries. A full 82 game schedule is going to bring a lot of fun and excitement.

Traverse City Tournament: 

Last year, due to the lockout, the tournament was cancelled. This year, it is back on and there will be eight teams competing. These teams are comprised of recent draft picks and young prospects of the eight teams. I'm excited because the Rangers are taking part in it as they do every year, but for any hockey fan it's like watching a good junior hockey game. They will take place in Detroit from September 5-9. The Gordie Howe division will feature the Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues while the Ted Lindsay division will be compiled of the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Rangers.

World Junior Championship:
This may be my favorite tournament of the year. The best players at the U-20 level competing for their country and hockey development program in a tournament. Every year, the games are action-packed and produce many surprises. The United States will defend their Gold won last year in Ufa, Russia. The tournament will take place in Malmö, Sweden from December 26th until January 5th. It will be a good one with the US and Canada looking good, as well as the hometown Swedes. Anyone can beat anyone in this tournament as seen before.

Olympic Games:
In February, the NHL will halt for 2 weeks and the Olympic Games will take over. Players will compete for their countries in Russia. The Canadiens are heavy favorites once again but a scrappy United States team plus the hometown Russians will be looking to knock them off. The Canadiens biggest question mark is their goaltending while the US and Russia have plenty of top-notch puck-stoppers waiting to jump in.

This is just part of the full-time schedule about to hit this October and last all the way into June of next year. Besides the new NHL format, the league will feature six outdoor games. I'm not sure how good or bad of an idea this is yet but it sure will bring in plenty of fans and revenue for the league and teams involved. Besides the NHL, the Canadian Hockey League will feature the best junior players in the world and the NCAA will have another season full of college hockey passion. It is going to be a great year. It's just about to begin. Enjoy the hockey season everyone!

The Stanley Cup Final Is Set

Every season come June, 28 organizations and their fans come to the realization that their team will not hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. That opportunity presents itself only to 2 teams and they will battle it out until only 1 of them can say they are Stanley Cup Champions. At the end of the season, the ultimate goal for 29 NHL teams does not come a reality and they go back to the drawing board. For that 1 team, the goal is completed and they get to enjoy a summer of partying with the Cup. This season, the Bruins and Blackhawks will face off for their first time in history in the Stanley Cup Final. It's an Original 6 matchup that will be hard hitting and aggressive to say the least. Here is how the teams break down.

Offense

Bruins: The Bruins are a deep team that shows a mix of girt and skill within their lines. David Krejci leads the playoffs right now with 21 points and his linemate Nathan Horton follows closely behind with 18. They have Milan Lucic playing much better in the playoffs and Brad Marchand continues to agitate to the max. Their depth players like Rich Peverley, Chris Kelly, and Daniel Paille among others have contributed in the areas they are needed and have eaten up valuable time on the clock when Boston has been in the lead. Patrice Bergeron has been clutch for Boston this year when he has been called upon. 

Blackhawks: The Hawks roster mimics the Bruins actually very closely. They are a very deep team that has plenty of guys who can put the puck in the net but also guys who are gritty and aggressive. Between Patrick Kane, Jonathon Toews, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, and Brandon Saad, the Hawks have more than enough scoring power. They have gotten both grit and goals this season from Bryan Bickell, who has 7 goals in the playoffs so far, and Andrew Shaw, who played his first full season after a great start last year. Michael Handzus has been a great deadline acquisition so far for the Hawks when it comes to defense and faceoffs. 

My Pick: Blackhawks The Bruins have a great offense, however, I just think the Blackhawks have the nod in this category. When you look at their lineup, the amount of offense they have is insane. That, plus the emergence of Bickell and Shaw, give the Hawks a slight edge over the Bruins. Marchand and Lucic will work hard to agitate Chicago's top players, however, so did Detroit and they didn't make it out of the round.  Toews and Kane will find a way and as long as they get a little help from their teammates, I see Chicago being the better offense.

Defense

Bruins: The Bruins own a big, bruising defense that does not make it east to get to Tuukka Rask. Led by near-perennial Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara, the Bruins have both skill and grit on the back end. Dennis Seidenberg works very well with Chara forming a nice 1-2 punch. Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid have been great as the 2nd line this season. Rookie Torey Krug has also made a huge impact with 4 goals in these playoffs.

Blackhawks The Blackhawks defense has become much better this year with the stellar play of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Nick Leddy. These 2 players are becoming better young NHL players and that helps the other Blackhawks defensemen. Being able to trust these players allows Duncan Keith and Brett Seabrook to play less than 27 minutes a night, which in the long run, allows better play and more production from both of them. These 4 defensemen are the core of the Blackhawks back end. They will be counted on even more as the finals begin.

My Pick: Bruins The Bruins defense is just too good. Anytime you have Zdeno Chara on the roster is already makes things difficult for the opponent. Add in another few hard hitting, shot blocking defensemen like McQuaid and Boychuk and it's a hard core to break. The Blackhawks have a good top four but Sheldon Brookbank and Michael Rozsival I do not completely trust at this point. The Bruins get the nod for defense in this series.

Goaltending

Bruins: Talk about a guy left out of the Vezina nominations because of the team in front of him and you will get Tuukka Rask. He has been nothing short of stellar prior to becoming the #1 when Tim Thomas took a year off and pretty much ended his time with the Bruins. The Finnish netminder had a 2.0 GAA and .929 SV% this season which was among the league leaders. In the playoffs, there have been times when Boston has collapsed and Rask has saved the day. He currently boasts a 1.75 GAA and .943 SV%, huge hikes from his performance last playoffs. Rask is maturing and is the real deal. Now it's time to see how he handles the big stage.

Blackhawks: Last season, Corey Crawford struggled. Coming into this season, I passed up the goaltender in my fantasy drafts as did many. That was a mistake. Crawford worked hard in the offseason and came into this shortened season ready to play. He had a 1.94 GAA and .926 SV% in the regular season in which the Blackhawks were Presidents Trophy winners. In the playoffs, he is very near to Rask's numbers with a 1.74 GAA and .935 SV%. Crawford seems to be the option in net for years to come in Chicago. Now it's time for a young-goalie duel to see who will raise the Cup.

My Pick: BOTH If I had to choose one of these goalies for my team in the finals, I wouldn't really know who to pick. They are both stellar this season and have made the saves their team needs them to make in order to win. Remember Crawford helped lead the Hawks from a 3-1 hole to Detroit in a series we all thought was over. Tuukka was down 3 goals in the 3rd period of the first round to the Leafs before tying it and winning in OT. Both goalies are completely capable of winning this year's Stanley Cup and I would take either one of them.

Who Wins The Stanley Cup?

Here is the question that really matters. Personally, I think both teams match up near identical and it will be a brutal battle to see who comes out on top. However, somebody is going to win the Stanley Cup in the next 2 weeks and I think that will be the Chicago Blackhawks. From the start of the season this team has had the Cup in their minds and I think that goal has not changed. They are driven and ready, led by who I think is the best captain in the league in Jonathon Toews. It is going to be a fun finals. Everyone enjoy them and good luck with your picks. 

Four Teams Remain....ALL Recent Champions

After a thrilling game 7 victory by the Chicago Blackhawks last night in OT, they solidified their place against the Kings in the Western Conference Final. In the East, familiar foes will play again, with both the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. Why do all these teams sound so familiar? Because they are the 4 most recent Stanley Cup Champions. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but wasn't the new NHL, especially the salary cap, suppose to limit these teams from becoming the cream of the crop every single year? Lately, besides maybe last season, the same teams have ended up in their conference finals every year and 2 of them go on to slug it out for the Cup. With a league full of many smart people, it shows that having the correct personnel will allow a team to strive in any circumstance.  

Lets compare two teams, one that is currently successful based off their years of good drafting, trading players, and signing free agents. The other is in the process of rebuilding, however, still find themselves struggling to get out of the basement. These teams are the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers. The Penguins hired GM Ray Shero in 2006 and since then he has been nothing but gold for the team. During this span, they started with Michel Therrien as their head coach and replaced him with current coach Dan Bylsma in 2009. Bylsma and Shero have been the face with the Penguins since, alongside owner Mario Lemieux and a crew of stars including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They have won the Stanley Cup in recent years and compete for it every other. Through smart drafting, trading, and signing, Ray Shero has compiled an awesome roster and Bylsma has ran it near flawless. Many of the names that appear in their drafts are making an impact on the roster including Beau Bennett and Simon Depres. They have Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta developing right now as well.

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers, who made a run to the Stanley Cup Final led by Chris Pronger in 2005-2006, have not even come close to making the playoffs since. Their best finish in the Northwest Division has been 3rd since that Cup appearence, being this most recent season. Kevin Lowe ran the team until 2008, then Steve Tambellini took over until he was fired this past April when it was evident the Oilers would once again miss the playoffs by a landslide. Craig MacTavish now runs the show in Edmonton and it will be seen how he fares. They have also had four coaches in this time frame. Longtime coach MacTavish was removed in 2008. Since then, Pat Quinn and Tom Renney gave it a shot but fared no better. Ralph Krueger now runs the bench and saw improvement in his first season, but not even close to a playoff-ready team. In these seven seasons of not making the playoffs, the Oilers drafted 6, 15, and 21st overall in 2007, 22nd in 2008, 10th in 2009, and 1st overall in each of the past 3 drafts. Besides Jordan Eberle, the Oilers have mismanaged their prospects. Development is key and when you rush the young players into the NHL, sometimes they can be eaten alive. Not to say any of their recent picks are struggling to the point of no return, but they definitely have not had the right personnel in charge in recent years. It's evident by their lack of good free agent signings and trades, as well as bad late round drafting, producing no depth or role players.

The teams that are left in the Stanley Cup hunt are there for one reason. Management has done their homework and made the right choices while working within a salary cap. Just because a team receives high draft picks every year doesn't mean they will climb out of the basement anytime soon. Maybe that's common sense. But it's just so brilliant to see how these teams are made up and how some of them work and some of them don't. Hard decisions have to be constantly made when working with a salary cap and the teams left have all figured it out. 

The Blog is Back

Playoffs In Full Swing

After a very long semester at school, it is great to have the NHL Blog back up and running again. Writing these articles are for nothing but pure enjoyment and the love of the game of hockey for me. Thanks to those who read before and those who will return to read again ongoing!

Nearing the midpoint to end of round two of the playoffs, there are a number of great things that I have been noticing in games that have really made this year special. After almost losing the season to the lockout, the NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement to save a season. To be serious, I don't think many of us were expecting much from a shortened season, however, it has proved to be nothing short of pure excitement so far. These are just a few things that have been enjoyable in the first two rounds of the playoffs so far.

Third and Fourth Line Playing Time

In season's past, teams have relied heavily on their first two lines to carry to bulk of the ice time and scoring. However, with a season that produced 48 games in a short span of time, it is a much different story this season. Injuries were a major factor in the regular season, causing teams to have to make changes in order to try and sneak into the playoffs. In the playoffs, with fatigued and battered players, coaches have had to use all their players and lines in order to eat up ice time. Therefore, this is giving a greater chance for some grinders to become playoff heroes. For example, the Ottawa Senators saw star players like Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson, and Craig Anderson suffer long-lasting injuries that have just started to see them come back and produce. They not only made the playoffs relying on a team game and contributions from everyone, but knocked off the Northeast Division Champion Montreal Canadians. In game three against Pittsburgh, it wasn't Spezza, Karlsson, Michalek or any of the top scorers that won the game in overtime. It was Colin Greening, who had 3 career NHL playoff goals prior to that one. Props to the grinders!

Hard-Hitting, In Your Face Action

Every year, for a die-hard hockey fan, the playoffs are the greatest thing that you can watch. It is a full 2 months of some of the best sporting action one can catch. This year though has been something overly special to watch. The playoffs have been more intense, more urgent, and more fun. Teams are laying everything on the line in this shortened season to try to take home the Stanley Cup heading into a summer where many changes are coming. With the salary cap dropping almost $10 million, teams will have to re-work contracts and let players go, changing the dynamic of their core. The hitting in the playoffs have also been unbelievable as referees are letting teams sort their problems out and play hard. Most of the penalties have been stick penalties as oppose to checking penalties, which have only come in injury-potential hits so far.

Overtime Thrillers and Game 7's

Almost every night, there is one or two games heading for an overtime period. It just shows how close these teams really are that are left and that a lucky bounce or two could literally let one of them win the Cup. Although OT has been short up to this point averaging under 10 minutes before the game-winner is scored, all the action has been heart-pounding as it literally can end at any second. Goaltenders have had their work cut out for them and we have seen some great displays of heroics so far. There have also been a few Game 7's in the first round and a few ahead in the second. The thrilling Game 7 between the Leafs and Bruins was just an example of the great hockey seen so far. To watch that 3rd period and overtime was one of the greatest displays of hockey in a long time. Nothing is better than NHL Playoffs and within that, nothing is better than OT hockey and Game 7 hockey.

It is really nice to have the blog back. Expect articles every 2-3 days as I try to keep the writing coming every few days during the summer. There is plenty of hockey left and plenty to talk about as the summer goes on. Hope the first article sparks your playoff bug! Enjoy all!

Slow Start...Confident or Worried?

The NHL season is nearly a week in the books and so far many of the teams expected to contend for division and conference titles look a bit slow. Most of the questions surrounding those teams, some with 0-3 starts, ask fans if they are worried about their teams start? Many fans roll with the tide of the team will say yes, they are worried. However, for the veteran fan who knows their team, a slow start doesn't mean much more than they just have to get up to speed. I am going to take a few of the unexpected teams sitting near the bottom of their divisions early on, and what should happen to them as the season gains ground.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings got off to a real bad start. After raising their Stanley Cup banner and getting their rings, they Chicago Blackhawks, a very scary team on paper in a short season, came into the Staples Center and put up three goals in the first period en route to a 5-2 win. The Kings then went into Colorado and looked solid for two periods, having a 1-0 lead. They surrendered three goals in the third to end up losing 3-1 to a Avs team that isn't expected to make the playoffs.

Expectation

The Kings will be just fine. They lost no major piece to their Stanley Cup victory and may just be experiencing the Cup hangover. On opening night the hype surrounded the banner and ring ceremony and not the game, which the Kings clearly weren't focused on. In Colorado they only played 40 of 60 minutes, which will change quick with Darryl Sutter. The Kings are still a strong contender this season.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings started the season off getting destroyed by a very good St. Louis Blues 6-0. They then played the Blue Jackets and it took a fantastic shootout move by newcomer Damien Brunner to finally get the win. All was well in Hockeytown....until the Red Wings took a trip to Dallas and lost 2-1, only scoring with seconds left on the clock to cut the lead to one and ruin the shutout for Kari Lethonen.
Expectation
The Red Wings have lost Brian Rafalski, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Brad Stuart on defense in the last three seasons. Their blue line looks much different and with Ian White and Niklas Kronwall leading the way, they will be just fine. The offense added Brunner to an already dangerous Datsyuk and Zetterberg. The Red Wings are a playoff team and will go on a roll soon.

Washington Capitals
The Capitals have started off 0-3.They have given up four goals or more in all of their games so far, using both goalies to try and make the stops. Offensively, they have declined from three goals in game one, to two goals, and then to one goal in their last game. Alex Ovechkin has one assist in three games. There could be alot to worry about this season in Washington.
Expectation
The Capitals were suppose to at least contend for the Southeast, but so far, they look awful. Mike Ribiero has been a nice addition up front, but the defense and goaltending of the Capitals looks weak so far. If this doesn't get fixed, Washington could find themselves looking from the outside come playoff time. This is something that has to be fixed now because soon enough, it will be to late.

Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers won their first game last night over the Rangers 2-1 in which they played well late to hold a lead. Prior to that, an 0-3 start had fans baffled and confused. The Flyers are riddled with injuries and although Bryzgalov has not been bad facing a lot of shots, he has given up a few weak ones and the Flyers have given up late goals to lose games.
Expectation
I don't doubt the ability of the Flyers to win, but injuries could derail their season. Already off the bat, Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, among others, are injured. If it were not for Claude Giroux, the offense would literally be in shambles at this point. If the Flyers can get healthy soon and put together some wins, they are a definite playoff team. However, if injuries continue, the Flyers could miss out.

New York Rangers
The Rangers came in as a top team and looking nothing like it through four games. They have been inconsistent, not playing all three periods. They have fallen behind early in games while playing well late, but by that point, they are already to far behind. The Rangers need to get their game going soon. Newcomer Rick Nash has been their most consistent player.
Expectation
One of the top ranked defenses in the league last year, the Rangers need to regain that form as a whole. They are giving up chances off defensive zone errors and leaving goalie Henrik Lunqvist with no help. He hasn't stolen a game yet as he did last season. The Rangers will eventually get their game going and will be a playoff team come May.

These are some of the teams that have been struggling off the gate. Some still have high hopes, while others could fall off quickly with injuries or inconsistent play. There have been lots of goals scored throughout the first week of the season and it has been fun. The standings will eventually lay out as they always do, with the best of the best in the playoff fighting for the Cup.

PS: Sorry for only one article this week. Been a busy one with school starting. Enjoy!

Predictions Mean Nothing....But I'll Take A Shot

With a 48 game NHL season beginning tomorrow, many are making predictions as to how the standings will play out. This isn't just an ordinary season though. With more games in a shorter span, coaches will have to make day by day adjustments that will shape their teams road. Injuries that normally aren't seen in a longer season will show up, players will be more fatigued as the season wears on them, and teams that don't have a good start may miss the playoffs off that fact alone. Either way, the season starts tomorrow and somebodies got to win it. Here are my predictions for the following season:

Western Conference

1-St. Louis Blues

2-Los Angeles Kings

3-Vancouver Canucks

4-Detroit Red Wings

5-Minnesota Wild

6-Chicago Blackhawks

7-Nashville Predators

8-San Jose Sharks

9-Phoenix Coyotes

10-Dallas Stars

11-Colorado Avalanche

12-Edmonton Oilers

13-Calgary Flames

14-Anaheim Ducks

15-Columbus Blue Jackets

This was tough to decide. There are so many in-between teams that could end up making the playoffs that I'm just not sure. However, this is what I went with. St. Louis is the cream of the crop in the West this season with Vancouver and Los Angeles winning their divisions right behind them. Detroit may have lost Lidstrom, but they will continue their playoff tear now going into I believe 22 straight years. Minnesota will surprise and be a solid West team while Chicago and Nashville both make the playoffs again. San Jose and Phoenix will battle hard and close for the eighth spot but I expect San Jose to slip in. Phoenix will barely miss out after losing Ray Whitney to Dallas, who I also expect to contend for that eighth spot. Colorado and Edmonton are getting closer, but still not enough to make the playoffs this season. Calgary does not impress me on paper while Anaheim does not either. Getzlaf and Perry are both entering free agency this summer. Columbus will bring up the rear once again as they attempt to build their organization, which they are in the process of doing after trading Rick Nash.

Eastern Conference

1-New York Rangers
2-Boston Bruins
3-Washington Capitals
4-Pittsburgh Penguins
5-Philadelphia Flyers
6-Carolina Hurricanes
7-Tampa Bay Lightning
8-Buffalo Sabres
9-New Jersey Devils
10-Ottawa Senators
11-Florida Panthers
12-Montreal Canadiens
13-Winnipeg Jets
14-Toronto Maple Leafs
15-New York Islanders

The East was even tougher as spots six through eleven were all but even. I expect the Rangers, Bruins, and Capitals to win the divisions respectively. Although a surprise could be seen in the Southeast with Tampa and Carolina getting much better all around. That will be an interesting division to watch. The Penguins and Flyers will take the five and six spots as the Atlantic division is the toughest division this year, as it was last year and could be for some time. Buffalo will be better this year with a healthy Ryan Miller and better Tyler Myers. The Devils will fight and could swap with the Sabres for eighth but with a loss of Parise and no gain, it will be tough. Ottawa surprised many last year but I think will be in a tough spot with a 48 game season. Florida will also fall in the Southeast this season with the other teams getting better. The other three Canadian teams will struggle as there is more drama than anything in Toronto and Montreal and Winnipeg are not ready for playoff runs yet. The Islanders continue to rebuild.

These are my guesses for this season. The Cup Final will end up being, again, another guess, the Rangers and Blues with the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup. Yes, I am a huge Rangers fan, however, I do feel as if this could finally be there year. With a strong team and shorter season, they can play the way they did last year and if uninjured, do it for the duration of the season and playoffs. Only time will tell. These predictions are nothing but guesses, but hey, that's why this is hockey! Can't wait for the season. What are your predictions? Have fun tomorrow night!

Buyouts Now Are Better Than This Summer

One of the main concerns of teams prior to the lockout ending was the salary cap dropping. With that happening, teams would have to take off cap prior to the 13-14 season in order to meet the lowered maximum cap. Therefore, the NHL is allowing teams two compliance buyouts this summer, in order to allow teams to get rid of players and cap that are unwanted. The only problem with this is, if the players is injured during the course of this season and into the summer, the buyout can't happen; teams with injured players have to take care of them. Then comes the case of Wade Redden and Scott Gomez, two high salary, unwanted players on their organizations rosters and cap.

When training camps opened, both Redden and Gomez expected an invite, ready and wanting to play like most NHL'ers when the lockout ended just about two weeks ago. However, they were both turned away and told they were not going to play at all this season, preparing their respective clubs to buy them out once the summer hit. The only other options the Rangers and Canadians had on this matter were to allow them to play in the NHL/AHL and risk the players getting injured or trade them. At this point, neither team wanted to risk an injury and no other team was going to make a trade for players getting over $6 million per season. Therefore, they were sent home and told to sit and wait until summer. Although I do agree with the teams wanting to buy them out without a problem this summer, I do also agree with Gomez and Redden not wanting to sit around.

After a few days of negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA, an agreement was announced to allow the players to be bought out now, but keep the cap for the rest of the season. In my mind, this is the best solution. Nothing changes in terms of cap as their salaries will stay for this season. Come next season, just as a summer buyout would do, their salaries will come off the cap for good. The only thing that changes is that instead of sitting at home all season, which is unfair to Gomez and Redden's careers, they will be unrestricted free agents after they clear waivers and are bought out. 

This is the best option for both sides. The rules aren't broken, the clubs don't have to worry about the players they want to buy out this summer, and the players can sign elsewhere. Already, it is rumored that the Detroit Red Wings have interest in bringing Redden to Hockeytown. Remember Tom Renney signed on as an assistant coach with Detroit recently. The NHL and NHLPA seem to finally be gaining some ground within the CBA as it has been signed, the NHL is back, and they are cooperating over issues that have come arise in the past two weeks. Redden and Gomez will be unrestricted free agents this week and they will be able to continue their careers without any penalty to their original teams.